2026-06-14T05:05:28Zhttps://repisalud.isciii.es/rest/oai/request

oai:repisalud.isciii.es:20.500.12105/143242025-04-25T11:14:18Zcom_20.500.12105_2052com_20.500.12105_2051col_20.500.12105_19609

00925njm 22002777a 4500 dc Pelerito, Ana author Nunes, Alexandra author Grilo, Teresa author Isidro, Joana author Silva, Catarina author Ferreira, Ana Cristina author Valdezate, Sylvia author Núncio, Maria Sofia author Georgi, Enrico author Gomes, João Paulo author 2021-11 Brucellosis is an important zoonosis that is emerging in some regions of the world, gaining increased relevance with the inclusion of the causing agent Brucella spp. in the class B bioterrorism group. Until now, multi-locus VNTR Analysis (MLVA) based on 16 loci has been considered as the gold standard for Brucella typing. However, this methodology is laborious, and, with the rampant release of Brucella genomes, the transition from the traditional MLVA to whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based typing is on course. Nevertheless, in order to avoid a disruptive transition with the loss of massive genetic data obtained throughout the last decade and considering that the transition timings will vary considerably among different countries, it is important to determine WGS-based MLVA alleles of the nowadays sequenced genomes. On this regard, we aimed to evaluate the performance of a Python script that had been previously developed for the rapid in silico extraction of the MLVA alleles, by comparing it to the PCR-based MLVA procedure over 83 strains from different Brucella species. The WGS-based MLVA approach detected 95.3% of all possible 1,328 hits (83 strains×16 loci) and showed an agreement rate with the PCR-based MLVA procedure of 96.4% for MLVA-16. According to our dataset, we suggest the use of a minimal depth of coverage of ~50x and a maximum number of ~200 contigs as guiding "boundaries" for the future application of the script. In conclusion, the evaluated script seems to be a very useful and robust tool for the in silico determination of MLVA profiles of Brucella strains, allowing retrospective and prospective molecular epidemiological studies, which are important for maintaining an active epidemiological surveillance of brucellosis. Front Microbiol. 2021 Nov 12;12:740068. 10.3389/fmicb.2021.740068 1664-302X Frontiers in Microbiology 34867857 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/14324 Brucella spp. MLVA Python script Genotyping Whole-genome sequencing Zoonosis Genetic Characterization of Brucella spp.: Whole Genome Sequencing-Based Approach for the Determination of Multiple Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Profiles